Transcript

J. Abraham Hamilton III hosts American Family Radio's Hamilton Corner

Abraham Hamilton III: Darkness is not an affirmative force. It simply reoccupies the space vacated by the light.

Abraham Hamilton III: This is the, Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.

Abraham Hamilton III: It should be uncomfortable for a believer to live as a hypocrite, delivering people.

Abraham Hamilton III: Out of the bondage of mainstream media and the philosophies of this world.

Abraham Hamilton III: God has called you and me to be his ambassadors, even in this dark moment. Let's not miss our moment.

Abraham Hamilton III: And now, the, Hamilton Corner.

Abraham Hamilton III: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Hamilton Corner. Abraham Hamilton III is my name. I'm the host of the program, joined by producer extraordinaire, often imitated, never duplicated. The real J. Mac, ladies and gentlemen, emphasis on the real. Some try, but like Popeyes and Beef Tallow, they get fried.

Many of you are making your transition from part time jobs to full time jobs

At this very moment, many of you, if not most of you, are making your transition from your part time jobs where you generate an income, to your full time jobs where you cultivate an outcome as you do so, I want to remind you to do it with intentionality. Recognizing the primacy that God places on family, embracing that primacy as it pertains to your engagement in your family. Also recognizing that what goes on in your house is far more important than what goes on in the White House. Not to diminish the significance or importance of White House goings on, but simply to highlight that we are directly responsible and accountable for what we have control over. None of us can call up Donald Trump, Donald Trump, but this beautiful bill was a big, beautiful bill. It's very big, very beautiful. And tell him, hey, you know what? How about we reconsider the tariffs, eh? No, but we, what we do have control over is what goes on in our homes, what we consume in our homes, what is priority for us in our homes, the quality with which the word of God is exalted. And I should say better that the quality with which God is exalted through his word. In our homes, we have control over that. How we spend our time, what we invest ourselves in, what we give ourselves to, we have control over that. And right in our own homes, we have the opportunity to execute the Lord's commission starting right in our own homes. If you are in a life stage, as I am, where you have young children still in your home, we have the opportunity to influence the eternal destination of our children. If you're in a place, you may be, you know, that you no longer have children in your home, but you more than likely have neighbors, you may be on the other end of the spectrum, you know, on the younger end of the spectrum, you Know, you still are in life stage where the Great Commission should be a matter of priority for you. You have peers, you have friends, you have those around you who you can influence for the glory of the God, glory of the glory of the Lord, the glory of the King. And I simply want to encourage you to do so. You know, all of us have the exact same 24 hours in a day, all of us. The question is, what will we do with it? So as you are making your transition right now, man, set your course to do it with intentionality. How are you going to spend this time? What are you going to do with it? What are the matters of most importance for those of us who have friends and family members and loved ones? There are all kinds of conversations and fellowship that we can engage in. But what's most important? Have you even considered or inquired as to where they would spend eternity? Do you know if they're believers? If not, Today is a great day, a great opportunity to ask and to put into practice what the scripture says in 1st Peter 3. Always be ready to give a reason for the hope that you have to any who might ask you. That presumes one, that you would live in such a way to where the quality of your life provokes inquiry. Society is going left, but I see you going right. How and why are you so willing to live according to your convictions? The second thing that's presumed in that text, that you live in proximity to people sufficiently so that they can ask. One of the great downsides of the technological age that we live in is that people have replaced digital interaction with interpersonal, kinetic interaction. We've often replaced, you know, shaking hands and hugging necks with posts and emojis. And they have it. They have that place, no doubt about it. I'm not one of these people that sneers at technology, but we have to be aware of how it is influencing our interconnectedness and most importantly, how it influences our capacity to put into practice what God has required of us. So if you have not done so, let today be the day. When you say, you know what, I'm going to switch it up a little bit. I'm going to go see how my neighbors are. I'm going to invite them over for coffee. Today might be the day. If you've never done it before. You know what? I've heard Abe talk about this family worship thing. Today is the day we're going to do it. As you're making your transition, man, let's take full advantage of the time that God has given us and trust him with the results of our obedience to the word of God. We go. Second Chronicles, Second Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verses 3 through 5 is where I'm going to go.

Second Corinthians chapter 10, verses three through five. Something that's just been really, um, on my heart

Something that's just been really, on my heart that I want to deal with during the entirety of today's program. But I want to start here because there's some things that I think we might gloss over when we read, not recognizing the full significance and impact of them. but I'd like to try to point these out as we navigate today's program. Second Corinthians, chapter 10, verses three through five. And this is what the Word of God says. For though we walk in the faith, though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful. For the destruction of fortresses, we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. And we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. One of the first things I want to say that the scripture points out very plainly, verse 3. For though we walk in the flesh, though we live in our flesh and blood bodies, though we live in. In this fallen world, though we live in this temporal life station, if you are born again, you need to understand that we are in this world, but not of it. All right? One of the major features of being born again, gnao anothen, is the Greek phrasing, we are born from above. We have been transitioned, transmuted from the line of the Adamic lineage of humanity and, and. And placed into the bloodline of the final Adam. That eternal blood transfusion has literally made us into a new family of people. Though we're in this world, we don't engage as if we're of this world. Our perspective of ourselves or our eternal fellow, eternal family members is not of this world. It is entirely otherworldly, and it is eternal. And the armament that we have, the scripture tells us the armament that we have is not of the flesh.

There is a concerted effort to reduce believers to worldly remedies

And I'm going to tell you, I want to talk a bit today about the mind. There is a strong and concerted effort to get the believer to kind of reduce ourselves to a degree to where we are limited to the resources that are carnal, that are fleshly, that are natural. But the word of God tells us that our armament is not confined to what is carnal. It's not confined to what is natural. And when we as believers reduce ourselves to worldly remedies. We are the ones who are the worst off for it. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh. They're not of the flesh, but they are divinely powerful. Some translations say, but they are mighty through God. Verse 4 posits a binary corollary that you will either utilize the armament of the flesh, and in so doing you must know that the armament of the flesh at best is finite, at best is limited. The armament of carnality at best has very limited effectiveness. In contrast, the armament that is available to those of us who are of the final Adam's lineage, our armament has divine power. The potency of the armament of those of us who are of the lineage of the final Adam, it is not limited, it is not finite. The effectiveness of the armament of the final Adam's lineage has divine power. It is the potency of the Creator. The potency of he who was and is and is to come is what the final Adam's lineage has access to by way of armament. But what largely happens is that we allow the world to seduce us into putting down our final Adamic, lineage. Armament, that is the armament available to us in Christ and limiting ourselves to that which is carnal. And so if we employ that which is carnal, guess what results we should expect? The results that are produced by carnality, which are at best temporal and insufficient to accomplish what the rest of the text says. Verse 5. Because our armament has divine potency. Because of that divine potency, look at verse five. We are destroying speculations. Well, some translations there say imaginations, speculations or imaginations or. Or what's one another Articulation arguments. Regardless of the. The English term employed there, whether it's speculations, arguments, imaginations. The Greek word for all of these translations is lagismos, which is from which our English word logic is derived. From that the armament that we have as a result of being born again, that is divinely powerful, gives us the wherewithal to destroy logismas. This is ideology. These are ideas. This is mental anguish. To destroy logismas and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. But take a few steps back, look back at verse 4. For the weapons of our warfare are, not of the flesh, but they have divine power for the destruction of strongholds or fortresses. The term employed there in Greek for strongholds or fortresses should envision, like the old school castles with the moat and the fortified wall and all kind of things. The Lord wouldn't say that these things are strongholds if they weren't strong. So we need to be candid about the fact that, oh, what we're coming up against has some potencies, but I want you to see they're not equivalent potencies. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they have divine power. For what purposes? For the destruction of these strongholds. So as strong as the strongholds may be, as strong as the fortresses may be, what God has provided for his people is more potent than that. We need to understand this. So remember the binary corollary. Carnal armament, limited carnal results. Final atom armament. Divinely powerful to do what? There's a stronghold, but the divinely powerful armament can destroy the stronghold. What's the stronghold? Logisma, speculations, arguments, vain imaginations, and every high thing that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God. I'm going to walk through some scripture in the next segments. But the root cause to what many in our day are describing as mental health, things of that nature, are usually at some point when you excavate, you get down to brass taxes or the lowest common denominator, whatever metaphor you want to employ there, you usually. The root to what presents itself as mental deficiency, mental anxiety, is that we, believed a lie at some point. We believed in a logismas that rivals the truth of Christ. But God's word says that his divinely powerful armament is potent to destroy the consequences of that logismas that when there is a demonic effort to, to construct a castle in the mind that the divine armament is available to us to destroy that castle.

Joseph Parker: Praise and worship acknowledge God's goodness even when unseen

We're going to talk about what are some of these divinely powerful tools that God has made available to us. We would be wise to put into practice what is made available to us. Instead of dumbing ourselves down, reducing ourselves to be, to succumb to, to the environment that we've been placed. We can be in this world, but we're not of this world.

Abraham Hamilton III: A discipleship minute with Joseph Parker.

Pastor Joseph Parker: It's like all of creation was screaming, God is good. His goodness just flows from everything he created. But when the devil came to the garden, tempted Adam and Eve, his approach was, is God really good? And sadly, they kind of went along with his deception. They fell into sin. But the reality is God's creation is good, and God is totally good, and so he can be totally trusted. So our worship and praise is acknowledging that he's good even when we don't fully recognize or see what he's doing. On the other hand, complaining is God. You're messing up. I'm not sure if you really are good in this situation. So I think clearly it's important to know complaining is never a good thing. It really is a way to curse something. Praise and worship. Even though we may not fully understand what all is going on, it's so productive.

Abraham Hamilton III: Shining light into the darkness. This is the Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.

Is God's word insufficient to address mental health issues, mental anxiety

Abraham Hamilton III: Welcome back to the Hamilton Corner, Abraham Hamilton iii. I want to continue this conversation because, I understand there's a, there's a furtive push in our society that, ah, saying things like the church needs to get on board. We need to be appropriately responding to the mental health crisis. And I understand what people are saying, you know what I mean? But, Is God's word insufficient to address mental health issues, mental anxiety, things of that nature? Instead of talking about it, how about we turn to the word of God to that point. To that end, let's go to Philippians chapter four. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, written about 62 AD. the city of Philippi was in the, Macedonian province, Macedonia, is where modern day Greece is. and the city of Philippi was actually, named after Alexander the Great's father, Philip ii, you know, so it is, the Grecians, the Greeks, who were the global superpower prior to the Romans. And, Alexander the Great is the one who named the city of Philippi after his own dad, Philip ii. By the way, that's just a way of an aside, but in Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, A, very familiar passage of scripture, but I think we can speed by some of the rich armament that God has provided for us in his word, if we're not intentional as we navigate the text. But Philippians chapter 4, verses 4 through 9. This is what the text says. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Be made known to God. I'm sorry. Verse 7. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things, the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul says believers will face circumstances that can provoke anxiety

Now, I've described this text as God's prescription for anxiety, but I want to ask this question. All right, well, let me make a statement first. Then I'm going to ask a question. By way of reminder, Paul's Epistle is addressed to Christians in Philippi, the Greek capital city of the Macedonian province, named after Alexander the great's father, Philip II. Philippi is the city where, Acts chapter 16, thereabout, tells us about Lydia, the seller of purple. She moved from her hometown in Thyatira, where you had particular, plants that were, useful for creating this purple dye unique to Thyatira. she moved from Thyatira to Philippi, which was really like moving from a small town to New York City, because Philippi was a major city along the Ignatian way. E G, N a T I O n the Ignatian, Where, I'm sorry, E G N a T I A n the Ignatian way. It was a roadway that connected the western portions of the Roman Empire to the eastern portions of the Roman Empire. All right, so that, Lydia moves there, and the church ultimately is birthed in Philippi. And Paul is writing to the believer and to the believer. Paul writes, Philippians, chapter 4, verse 6. Be anxious for nothing. Why do you think the Lord and his divine providence, his omniscience and his sovereignty would include in his word to believers? Be anxious for nothing. Why do you think that would be there? Because God knows very plainly that believers will invariably confront circumstances, occurrences, life, happenings, and things that can provoke anxiety. Believers can be confronted with circumstances that provoke anxiety, anguish, mental difficulty. But unsurprisingly, the same God who knows that believers will face circumstances that can provoke anxiety, the same God also says, because I know that I'm going to tell you on the front end how you are supposed to deal with this. Now, the very first thing that the Lord says through the Apostle Paul, in light of the reality that believers will be confronted from time to time with anxiety, says, be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension or understanding, regard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That is often one of them. Not often. That is what God prescribes for us to deal immediately with the presence of anxiety. But let me tell you something. The Lord also gives us armament to preemptively cut off the potential for anxiety production in the life of the believer. How do I know that? Keep reading. In the passage. So responding in prayer, in faith, with thanksgiving is vital for the believer. But all too often, many believers have been seduced by our culture into a tacit declaration of independence from God, which. Which I call prayerlessness. And we cultivate or curate for ourselves lives of prayerlessness. And the only times we pray is when crises emerges. When crises emerge, instead of a tacit declaration of independence from God, the believer is summoned to live a life of dependency upon him, most tangibly demonstrable in lives filled with prayer. Living the lifestyle of prayer. But not only do we have a mechanism to respond to the presentation of anxiety, we have a mechan mechanism to preemptively ward it off. How so? Verse 8. Finally, brethren, whatever is true. Whatever is true. In addition to living a lifestyle of prayer, the Lord directs the believer to feast on whatever is true, to set our minds on whatever is true.

When a believer is wrestling with anxiety, usually the root of that anxiety is lie

Which is why I said what I said in the first segment for many people, for the believer, usually, I'm not saying in every circumstance, but usually when a believer is wrestling or struggling with anxiety, mental anguish, mental difficulty, when you get right down to it, where rubber meets the road, usually the root of that anxiety is that the believer has allowed himself to believe a lie. When you get right down to it, the root excavate the emotions and the different things that kind of. That are on top. But when you get down to the foundational level, it's usually at some place, at some point they've believed a lie. Sometimes for men, it's because we believe a lie that about. About humanity, which was supposed to be this kind of person, and about masculinity. I'm sorry. And this is what men are supposed to be. And we've never examined that lie. Sometimes the lie is a result of having watched the way our fathers operated or being aware of, even if we didn't get a chance to watch it, of how our fathers operated. And we developed these ideas about masculinity that ain't necessarily biblical. Something with our women, the world does these things and convinces us of these things that this is what women are supposed to be. Never have we examined that in light of what the scripture says. But we allow the lie to kind of percolate and to fester and the lie kind of takes residence. And that lie, as at the foundational level over time, produces that anxiety. One of the primary divinely powerful portions of our armament that God has given us is that as believers, we have the unique ability to feast on, to dwell on, to abide in what is true. True as A vibrant component of our life's existence. We should develop the lifestyle habit of determining what is true. Well, how do we assess what is true? Truth is what flows from the mind of God. So we have the wherewithal as believers to feast on what is true, similarly dwell on brethren. Whatever is honorable is the thought, is the idea. Is the notion worthy of honor? Should we be giving this idea, this lagismos, the place of honor that it has in us? Should that have that place of honor? Or is it a lie? Or is it dishonorable? Well, if it is a lie and it is dishonorable, why would we give it sanction to take a residence in our minds? The text goes on, whatever is right. Oh, that's a big one. Whatever is right. What is presumed there, what is presumed from God's holy word is that there is such thing called right versus wrong. Or Abe, you know the world, you know they quote that miss out of context Scripture. You, how you going to tell me what's right? Judge not. You judge not. That's just a flat lie. Scripture taken out of context abused tremendously. God didn't tell the believer not to judge. God instructs the believer to judge. But our judgment must be righteous. Our judgment cannot be hypocritical. Our judgment requires us to apply to others. Because the same measure that we apply to ourselves, what Jesus was condemning, what the Lord is condemning, is the one who has the propensity to have an elevated standard to apply to others and then a reduced standard to apply to ourselves. No, we have to judge. Psalm 1. Blessed is a man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. According to Psalm 1, in order to live in a life of blessing, what do you have to be able to do to determine what is and what is not ungodly? That's a judgment. Now, what we don't have the wherewithal to do as believers is that we have no authority to condemn. We don't have the authority to put anybody in eternal damnation. But we have an obligation to judge. Abe, walk not in the council of the dope dealers in order to, obey that instruction. Guess what I gotta be able to do? I need to be able to identify the drug dealers for from the non drug dealers. And when I identify the drug dealers, guess what? Don't hang out with them.

God instructs the believer to dwell on, to set our minds on

This next one, Whatever is pure, set our minds, feast our minds on whatever is pure. Purity, guys, is not synonymous with abstinence. You could have a person abstaining from something, but the entire time in their Hearts, they're yearning for it like shmeagle, oh my precious, I must have my precious. Purity is a heart disposition, not merely a conduct. God instructs the believer to dwell on, to set our minds on, to feast on what is pure. Guys, this is why what we consume is so important. And that consumption is not merely passively in terms of entertainment. It also is involved in, in the types of interactions that we have, conversations that we have with people. How many times you have people that they may not even know what they're doing, but they'll, they'll just make a statement casually and flippantly and they don't know where you are, what you're dealing with. And brother, so and so you're not as good as so and so. Over here. They don't know what kinds of thoughts of insecurity you're dealing with, comparing yourself to other people. They didn't intend to send you on this spiral of internal anguish. But that's what happens. Let's be honest, that's what happens. Oh, look at you, oh you, you, you ain't married yet. They don't know how you will receive that comment, and they may not even mean anything malicious by it. But if we have not set our minds to feast on what is true, what is honorable, what is right, what is pure, that one little comment could send us careening down a valley. Three weeks later, you still thinking about that comment so and so made. Because we're not feasting on what is true. If what they said is a lie, guess what? Our warfare weapons are divinely powerful to destroy the Lilagi's moss. Whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence or anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things, guys. This is a part of our divine armament that fortifies us in our minds against the lie taking root and sending us careening toward anxiety. And make no mistake about it, that these, this ideology, it can be pernicious, it could have tremendous impact, it could feel real. But how many understand and how many know that feelings even can be liars? But one of the first components of potent, divinely powerful members or components of our armament is, is feasting in our minds on what is true. So a, robust component, a robust part of our lives as believers must be to set our minds on what is true. The Apostle Paul said to Colossians that if you've been raised with Christ, set your mind, set your affections, set your on things that are above. I understand what they said about you, but what has God said about you. The world say, abe, you from the Ninth Ward, you from the hood in New Orleans. You ain't going nowhere but being dead or in jail. But what does God say about me? M Can anything good come out of the Ninth Ward? What does God say about me? They may not understand your gift. You may not ever have the loud upfront gift, but God has given you a gift that's just as potent as a loud and upfront gift. Just because a person doesn't understand that your gift is just as potent doesn't mean you should embrace their lack of understanding. What is true what is true is that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, that God is the one who made you that way. God is the one who gave you that makeup. God is the One who positioned you in his body as he wills. So who is this person to be able to tell you something that God has not declared? Whatever is true, dwell on these things. Whatever is right, dwell on these things. Whatever is worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Refuse to give safe harbor to the lie that is a component of our divinely powerful armament.

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Abraham Hamilton III: Earthquakes. Think of the devastation they've caused in this century alone in Japan, Iran, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Haiti. But know this. There is an earthquake coming that is without parallel and it's not even the worst disaster ahead. You can face the future with confidence. John MacArthur helps you see that today on Grace to youo.

Abraham Hamilton III: The Hamilton Corner podcast and one minute commentaries are available at afr.net back to the Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.

Abraham Hamilton III to speak at Arizona Families for Home Education Conference next week

Abraham Hamilton III: Welcome back to the Hamilton Corner. Abraham Hamilton III here. I should mention that we will be in Phoenix, Arizona next week, July 18th and 19th. participating in the Arizona Families for Home Education Conference at the Phoenix Convention Center. Yes, hitting up Phoenix in July. if you're in the area willing to come to the area, please do so. I'd love to see you at this convention. Simply go to afhe.org to register. That is at the Phoenix Convention center in Phoenix, Arizona. We'll be there next week, July 18th and the 19th. I'll be providing a keynote address and a few breakout sessions during the conference. My wife also will be, at the conference, doing some things there. af.org is website. Arizona Families for Home Education is the website. I'm sorry, is the organization looking forward to being with you there?

Too often the believer is not using the tools God has provided for us

All right, back to what I was discussing, man. I'm, I'm, I'm talking about this because again, the world is making this emphasis on mental health and all of these things, but too often the believer is not using the tools and, and the weapons that God has provided for us. You know, we, we, we become. We've gotten to the place in many instances where we've been hospitable to a lie. You know, somebody says something, makes it, makes this suggestion about you or say something. You can even be going about doing something good on your way to minister or something, or somebody will say something to you, you know, and then that, that if we're not intentional about rejecting what is a lie, we'll allow that lie to kind of take root, allowed to, To. To kind of find safe harbor being a bit too hospitable for hospitable to the lie. And then you two, three weeks down the line, A, month down the line, Three months down the line, and then you. Man, I don't know what's going on, man. Jeff, I just ain't. I'm not feeling right, man. What's wrong, man? I don't know. I don't know what's going on, man. I just not feeling it, you know. And then the world goes. And the psycho babblers would, well, here, here's this medication, put you on these drugs, have you hopped up, when the truth is we simply were too hospitable to a lie. There are many people that. Again, when you excavate the scenario, you get down to the root of the matter. You know, guys going through midlife crisis, what is that really about? Them believing a lie about their masculinity. But it's such a common phenomenon, we give it a name, midlife crisis. I don't remember seeing the scripture where the Lord says, thou shalt have a midlife crisis. It's okay if you go through midlife crisis. Feast on what is true. Feast on what is true. Now, again, I want to point out something to you, Psalm 42, because I don't want anybody to think that as I'm talking about this, that I don't believe that the struggles are real. Oh, man, the scripture bears. Bears it out. Oh, the struggles are real. But just because we have feelings about things doesn't make the feelings true. Psalm 42, verses 1 through 5. Check this out. As the deer pants for the water brook, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before you? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, where is your God? These things I remember, and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you. Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Here the psalmist is describing someone who used to lead in worship, leading the procession and singing and glorifying God. But now, verse three. My tears have been my food day and night. This is a person who's crying all day long. This is a person who's overwhelmed in anxiety, overwhelmed in anguish to where they are crying nonstop. And that crying nonstop has replaced the one who used to. We lift our hands in the sanctuary. We lift our hands to give you the glory. We lift our hands to give you the praise. Oh, we will praise you for the rest of our days. Yes, that's what they used to be. But now my tears are my food day and night. Which causes psalmist to ask the right questions. Why are, you disturbed within me, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? What the scripture is bearing out that. That there is a root. That's what I'm saying. What lie have you believed? Have you believed a lie that said at this life, at this time, at this age, you should be at this place in life? I know the world says that, but is that true? What does God's word say? Have you believed a lie? Because you don't have this thing, you don't have that thing that therefore you are somehow less than who God says you are. I know the world says that, but is that true? Where do we get veneration from? Where do we get our esteem from? I know those are prevalent notions in the world, but is it true? Is it honorable? Is it worthy of praise? Is it right?

Sometimes the issue that's producing the anguish is unconfessed sin

I go further, turn to Psalm 32, because sometimes the issue, and this is one of the deficiencies of the body of Christ, being reduced from worshiping together to merely worshiping beside one another, to where we don't really have vibrant, true relationship in the body of Christ, where we're isolated in groups. Sometimes the issue that's producing the anguish that's producing the anxiety. Sometimes it's unconfessed sin. Look at Psalm 32. This is a psalm of David. And this psalm is penned after his sinful taking of Bathsheba. Look at Psalm 32, the first five verses of this Psalm. Verse 1. How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit or, no guile. Look at verse three. When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long, for day and night, your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality or my strength was drained away, as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you. And my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. Sometimes the thing that is provoking the anxiety and the anguish, sometimes it's unconfessed sin. Not always, but sometimes it is lying, covetousness. Why do they have that? Why don't I have that? Envy, pride, idolatry. Sometimes the thing that is the root is unconfessed sin. And look, the scripture tells us some of the impact. When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away. Some translations there say my bones wasted away. Guys, make no mistake about it. Carrying around unconfessed sin can sometimes even have a physical symptomology. Sometimes in the Word, they call it psychosomatic symptoms. Carrying and harboring unconfessed sin can even manifest itself physically. I can tell you story after story dealing with people who wrestle with unforgiveness and bitterness and how their physical health began to diminish because of that unconfessed sin. I want to be clear. I'm not saying this is always the case. I'm not saying whenever people are struggling with anxiety, it's because they have unconfessed sin. But. But sometimes it is the case, and we need to be honest about that. Sometimes you have people who have good church attendance, but they're harboring unconfessed sin. And this double life is having an effect. Let's be real. Unsurprisingly, the Bible tells us. Yeah, yeah, that's true. That happens, man. The scripture tells us that if we confess our. Our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin. You read John 21. It gives a beautiful picture of what confession should look like. Because after Peter denies Jesus and that denial is followed by Jesus being executed on the cross. Peter was devastated by his own betrayal, had no hope, went back fishing, back to what he was doing before he'd ever met Jesus. But then Jesus shows up and resurrected form on the beach. And as soon as Peter heard, wait, that's my Lord, While the others trying to get their boats to the shore, Peter jumps in the water and swims. That's the picture of confession we should have. Because sometimes anguish is the byproduct of having an immature response to God's conviction. When David said, for your hand was heavy upon me, he's talking about God convicting him for his sin. In conviction, the mature covenant Christ followers recognize is evidence of God's love for us. But the immature response to conviction would be like Adam and Eve in the garden when they rebelled against him. For the first time in human history, they hid themselves. I always know when I come home. Usually when I come home from work, you know, I get a. I got a chorus of greetings at the garage door. Daddy's home. But I already know what went down. When I pull up in the garage and nobody at the door, I already know what's going on. Somebody's hiding because they have a misunderstanding. How to respond to conviction, man? The scripture tells us God corrects, He chastens those whom he loves. He loves us so much he won't allow us to continue in error. An inappropriate response to conviction. Like David here says, for your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality drained away, as with the fever heat of summer. I know what that's like, man. Growing up in New Orleans, with the humidity down south, below sea level, man, I feel like a hot, wet blanket is just on your back and it ain't going nowhere. And over time, it drains away your strength, your vitality. But the response to that, guys, is not to wither away, our bones eroding away because we're not confessing. It's to come, Lord. Cards face up. Lord, I'm sorry. Forgive me. This is why the apostle James ruled that we confess our sins one to another, that we might be made whole. And this goes back to the point I was making earlier. But when we be made, when we've been made into silos in the body of Christ, nobody knows one another, let alone can be real with one another. The scripture says, if a brother is caught in a fault, yet let you who are spiritual to restore such a one.

Taj: Forgiveness comes from relationships within the body of Christ

In the spirit of gentleness, consider yourselves, lest you too should fall. That's an instruction from God, man. But what does that Require that we have relationship and fellowship with the body sufficiently that I could actually know what's going on in my brother and my sister's lives, my brother's lives. I, wouldn't encourage men to be the ones walking with women in this, necessarily. But you confess your sins one to another, that you might be made whole. Forgiveness comes from God, but oftentimes deliverance comes horizontally as a result of the relationships within the body of Christ that you can be to a brother who is caught up in a fault, a, means of restoration. Because you'll walk with them into freedom, and they will know that you won't condemn them and you won't think less of them and you won't flip your nose about them. Oh, my God. I can't believe he's struggling with that. I can't believe that. Consider yourself that you should. You should fall, man. Being in the family of God is supposed to mean something. Do good unto everyone, especially the household of faith. But you have scores of people struggling, being hospitable to a lie or in other circumstances, having. Harboring unconfessed sin, but don't know what to do with it, don't know where to go with it. And the enemy is just having a party, weighing us down, eroding us, emaciating us, having the one who previously we lift our hands in the sanctuary and now bones are wasting away. Now we're being crushed because we're not employing the divinely powerful armament that God has provided. Instead, we're resting on carnal means. Taj, it doesn't have to be that way. I'm not saying mental health professionals don't have their place, but mental health professionals should not supplant the truth of God's word. The body of Christ does not have to succumb to the spirit of the ages. Press to try to reduce everything down. All ah, I need is a mental health day. What we need is to feast on truth. And not surprisingly, feasting on truth is what enables us to. To rejoice always.

Kendra: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.